Geekade’s Scariest Moments: Wraith #1

Deciding on the single, scariest thing that I’ve seen was not an easy task. I was exposed to horror movies at a young age, and those slasher-films never made me afraid to turn the lights off at night. In fact, the Nickelodeon show, “Are You Afraid of the Dark,” scared me much more than “Halloween,” “or “Scream” ever did. However, it wasn’t anything from my childhood that really invoked a sense of terrifying dread within me. It was the first issue of a comic book titled “Wraith,” released three years ago, that truly invoked a sense of fear.

Wraith #1 set up the life of Charlie Manx. He recounted his terrible childhood from a view of ignorant acceptance, and it wasn’t just Joe Hill’s writing that made it disturbing, it was C.P. Wilson III’s artwork. However, the unfortunate events that happened in Charlie’s childhood were nothing compared to the first ride in his new car with his wife and children. Not only was something frighteningly wrong with Charlie, but his car and his children as well. Charlie’s wife remained completely unaffected, and could not understand what was happening around her. Wilson III’s artwork made it difficult for me to sleep that night, at 29 years old, because he so perfectly illustrated Hill’s story when it took such a sharp, disturbing turn. I was not expecting something so grotesque so quickly. One word: teeth.

This is what happens when you don’t go to the dentist regularly, kids.

Jonathan Fugger is the author of the monthly series Welcome to the D-List here on Geekade, as well as a regular contributor to The Think Tank, and co-host of the Mutant Musings Podcast.